female prisoners found that sixteen per cent had considered self-
harming, fifteen per cent had considered attempting suicide and six
per cent had attempted suicide in the previous month.
When considering the reasons that prisoners give for attempt-
ing suicide there are some clear parallels with those regarding
poorer psychological health. Some of the factors that have been
reported to be associated with suicide in prison include:
- A psychiatric diagnosis
- Taking psychotropic medication
- A very violent index offence
- An actual or expected lengthy sentence
- Overcrowding
- Relationship problems/social isolation
- Being a remand prisoner
- Grief/bereavement
- Feelings of hopelessness/depression
- Homesickness
- Victimization by prisoners/prison staff
- A history of suicide attempts/threats.
It should be noted that there is some controversy about
whether self-harming and suicide should be considered as being
essentially the same behaviour. One study compared the factors
associated with both. The reasons for committing or attempting
suicide seemed more related to concrete events. In contrast, the
reasons given by prisoners for self-harming included expressing
or relieving emotion which seem related to more ongoing prob-
lems. Another study found poor peer relationships and a history
of sexual abuse to be associated with deliberate self-harm. If there
are differences between the triggers of suicide and those of self-
harm, this suggests that they will each require different types of
intervention. For example, suicidal prisoners with a psychiatric
diagnosis could be provided with appropriate medication
whereas prisoners who use self-harming as a way of coping could
be taught alternative methods of coping. This is a question that
future research could investigate.
140 criminal psychology: a beginner’s guide